Celia Álvarez Muñoz: El Limite

Through October 18

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

In a new iteration of her installation for the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, from 1991, Texas-based artist Celica Álvarez Muñoz has transformed the Carter’s sloping first-floor gallery. In El Limite, Muñoz references the works of Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada in two large-scale photographs and explores the effects of the railroad on the connections and divisions among cultures, languages, and traditions.

The Questioneers: Read. Question. Think. PLAY!

Through May 24

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

While little ones might balk at spending a couple of hours looking at art, The Questioneers: Read. Question. Think. PLAY! is a hands-on exhibit that encourages questioning, thinking, and problem-solving. Based on the popular children’s book series by Andrea Beaty, which includes favorites such as Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Ada Twist, Scientist, this exhibition will have your kiddos using their little gray cells while having loads of fun. (Just don’t tell them that they’re learning while they’re playing!)

Roy Lichtenstein in the Studio

Through August 16

Nasher Sculpture Center and the Dallas Museum of Art

When someone says “Pop Art,” most people automatically think of Roy Lichtenstein’s large-scale interpretations of comic book panels. However, Lichtenstein’s oeuvre is more wide-ranging, encompassing sculpture, prints, and murals. The Nasher Sculpture Center and the Dallas Museum of Art celebrate the acquisition of over 50 works from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation in this joint exhibition of drawings, sculptures, and prints by the groundbreaking artist, shown at the neighboring institutions.

Georgia O’Keeffe and the Carter

Through September 2027

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

It’s fitting that a museum dedicated to American art has created an exhibition of works by the artist known as “the Mother of American Modernism.” For the first time, the Carter explores its ties to O’Keeffe, possibly America’s most recognized artist, showing not only her paintings and works on paper from the Museum’s collection, but also photographs, letters, and other materials from O’Keeffe and other artists such as Alfred Stieglitz, Laura Gilpin, and Eliot Porter.

Fire and Earth: Early Chinese Pottery from the MacLean Collection

Through September 27

Crow Museum of Asian Art

Architect Louis Sullivan once declared that “Form follows function.” Fire and Earth: Early Chinese Pottery from the MacLean Collection features 45 vessels spanning the Neolithic period (ca. 10,000–2000 BCE) through the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), exploring how function and technological advances shaped the development of pottery across China, from simple earthenware vessels to early glazed porcelain.

Paper Technologies: Italian Prints and Drawings

Through September 20

Dallas Museum of Art

Through the selection of works from early modern Italy, from Venice to Rome, dated from 1500 to 1750, Paper Technologies: Italian Prints and Drawings explores a complex relationship between drawings, prints, and their afterlife. The increasing availability of paper enabled advancements in drawing and printmaking, and the exhibition features works from the Dallas Museum of Art’s permanent collection as well as never-before-seen pieces from private collectors.

Waste to Wonder

Through May 24

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

We are increasing a throw-away culture. Mass-produced items have a single use and are meant to be disposed of instead of repaired and kept. In collaboration with the Tarrant County Education Foundation, Waste to Wonder explores how innovation and creativity can transform one man’s trash into another man’s treasure with hands-on exhibits that delve into what it means to be truly sustainable.

Paper Knife: Objects of Beauty in Early Modern Japan

Through September 29

Crow Museum of Asian Art

When I say the word “samurai,” what springs to mind? Sword-wielding warriors fighting for their lord’s honor, correct? That image is only a small part of what samurai were. Exploring developments in decorative and fine arts, Paper Knife: Objects of Beauty in Early Modern Japan explores how pastimes, such as calligraphy, tea ceremonies, and landscape painting, were defining features of the elite samurai class, and how craftsmanship and materials elevated the mundane to the sublime.

Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers

March 8 through September 27

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

In his first major exhibition in more than a decade, multimedia Rashid Johnson uses Black history, art history, and philosophy as a framework to explore masculinity, parenthood, self-care, and identity. Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers includes over 80 works and traces Johnson’s development through early photographic pieces, film, and sculpture to more recent paintings and assemblages.

The Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem

March 15 through June 28

Kimbell Art Museum

For centuries, European monarchs competed to demonstrate their piety and support for Christianity in the Middle East by commissioning art and religious items. Composed of more than 60 dazzling pieces gifted by kings, queens, and other rulers to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, The Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem includes reliquaries, crosses, chalices, vestments, and candlesticks created out of rich materials by the most talented craftsmen and artists of the 17^th and 18^th centuries in Europe.

Black Photojournalism

March 15 through July 5

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

The years between 1945 and the mid-1980s were a time of great change in the United States. From the post-war boom through the Civil Rights movement and beyond, Black Photojournalism explores the essential role of Black photojournalists in documenting historic events and everyday life in Black-owned media outlets during those turbulent times. These photographs create a historical record of Black life that is rich and nuanced, and that serves as a tool for empowerment and education.

Paradise on Earth: Florals in Indian Textiles

April 1 through November 29

Dallas Museum of Art

For thousands of years, Indian textile artists turned to the natural world for inspiration. Exploring the impact of plant and floral imagery in Indian textile and garment design, Paradise on Earth: Florals in Indian Textiles examines the interconnectedness of craftsmanship, art, and nature and showcases the richness of clothing, decorative arts, paintings, and textiles from the Mughal Empire (1526-1827) to the present.

The Cinematic West: The Art That Made the Movies

Through April 25

Sid Richardson Museum

The Hollywood Western wouldn’t be the Hollywood Western without the works of Western artists like Charles Russell, Frederic Remington, and many others. Their art explores the mythology of the American West– a mythology that Hollywood enthusiastically embraced and amplified. The Cinematic West: The Art That Made the Movies juxtaposes paintings, sculptures, and illustrations with movie posters, silent-movie clips, and other ephemera, revealing parallels between “fine art” and “mass media.”

The Statue of Liberty: From Bartholdi to Warhol

August 16, 2026 through January 3, 2027

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

“’I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’” In honor of the 250^th anniversary of the United States, the Carter explores the place of the Statue of Liberty in America’s visual culture and the evolution of depictions of French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s monolithic work, Liberty Enlightening the World, as well as its continuing relevance in America’s visual culture. The exhibition is anchored by a rare bronze cast of Lady Liberty, one of only five small-scale bronze casts made during Bartholdi’s lifetime.

Preservation Is the Art of the City

September 10 through September 12

Location to be determined

In its 23^rd year, Preservation Is the Art of the City showcases the work of North Texas artists while raising money for Historic Fort Worth, Inc. The event, spanning several days around Fall Gallery Night, allows art patrons to connect with local artists and their works and celebrates the talent and creativity of our city.

Photography’s First Century: Masterworks from the Bibliothèque nationale de France

October 4, 2026 through January 17, 2027

Kimbell Art Museum

Photography’s First Century: Masterworks from the Bibliothèque nationale de France is the Kimbell’s first-ever exhibition celebrating the art of photography. The Bibliothèque nationale de France holds one of the most extensive collections of photography in the world, and this exhibition uses its holdings to trace the development of the medium over its first century, from the technological breakthroughs of early photographic processes such as the Daguerreotype and calotype to the impact of war and politics between the World Wars.

Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival

April 16-19

Downtown Fort Worth

The granddaddy of all Fort Worth’s art festivals, Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival returns for its 39^th year in 2026. One of the top-rated fine arts festivals in the country and certainly the biggest in Texas, Main St. is an outdoor gallery featuring the art of more than 200 jury-selected artists in media such as sculpture, painting, photography, and more, and is one of the highlights of North Texas’s cultural year.

Grapevine Main Street Fest

May 15-17

Downtown Grapevine

Grapevine’s annual street festival, celebrating all things Grapevine, is a family-friendly festival that features food, shopping, and entertainment. It also includes the Grapevine Art Project Market, which features art from the Grapevine Art Project, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and promoting artists in the city and to providing scholarships to art students in the area.

Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

September 11-13

Downtown Denton

Not just a bedroom community for the bigger cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex or the home of the University of North Texas, Denton has established itself as a center for the arts in North Texas. Founded on the belief that all forms of art should be available to everyone free of charge, the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival offers professional and amateur artists and musicians alike a place to share their art with the public.

North Texas Art Festival

May 16 & 17

Katy Depot, Denison

Situated on the shores of Lake Texoma, Denison is a small town with a big city arts culture. Juried local, regional, and national artists come to Denison every year for the North Texas Arts Festival. Musicians from across Texas and the Southwest perform as families enjoy the kid-friendly activities and shop for art at the historic Katy Depot.

Art Worth: A Festival at Clearfork

October 23-25

The Lawn of the Shops at Clearfork

A relative newcomer among North Texas art festivals, Art Worth is a celebration of visual art and classical music with a juried exhibition of art by Texas and national artists and music from local schools and professional companies. Art Worth also affords the public the opportunity to enjoy glassblowing, pottery, and metalsmithing demonstrations and to converse with the artists.

Cottonwood Art Festival

May 2 & 3 and October 3 & 4

Cottonwood Park, Richardson

Now in its 57^th year, the Cottonwood Arts Festival has become one of the most prestigious fine arts festivals in the United States. Featuring works in all media by nearly 200 artists from across the nation, “The Cottonwood” celebrates the visual and performing arts and has become a Richardson tradition on the first weekends of May and October.

The post 2026 in Art first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

This is an example of the questions Jason and Lauren Morgan, founding directors of Stolen Shakespeare Guild, get every now and then. They’ll tell you this with a good-natured wink and a laugh. But perhaps a better question might be, “Shakespeare? In Fort Worth?” And the answer is (miraculously) “YES.”

Flashback to 2007: Jason and Lauren Morgan first began showcasing the work of their upstart theater company, one that dared to perform Shakespeare, of all things, at the Sanders Theatre, the black-box theater in the late and lamented Fort Worth Community Arts Center (FWCAC). Tenants of the FWCAC received unhappy news in July of 2024: the city was giving tenants five months to vacate. After almost 20 years, the Morgans, along with their friends Hamlet, Cordelia, Puck, and Prospero, would be homeless.

photo credit: Keith Warren

“We were just inundated with questions,” recalls Lauren of the initial flurry of the news. But soon after the die was cast, heroic board members, patrons, volunteers, and artists all jumped in to advocate, raise money, haul supplies, intercede with the city, and champion the herculean task of re-rooting Fort Worth’s only classical theater company. In December of 2024, with only 12 days left to find a home, Stolen Shakespeare Guild (SSG) signed its first-ever mortgage in 20 years of operation.

Fast-forward to now: Lauren and Jason sit under work lights in their new space. She’s wearing painting clothes, her hair up. Jason has been prepping light design. And they are both about to welcome actors for a rehearsal of the first show of the 2026 season in their new theater on Decatur Avenue in Diamond Hill, minutes from the Stockyards.“A lot of things went right for this to happen for us,” says Lauren, who still seems a bit dazed and undeniably grateful.

The Morgans have also been doing right by a lot of other people, too. They managed to remodel the space in only six months — in time to mount and perform their full season’s slate, despite not opening until July 2025 — giving their artists jobs and patrons their fill. The Morgans opened their new space to other displaced theater groups, including the Fringe Festival, which had its highest-grossing year there. They’ve welcomed a Hispanic-heritage theater troupe and a solo artist, both seeking a reasonably priced space in which to showcase their work. “We want to make it really affordable [for these artists],” says Jason, who then jokes, “The only people we might not rent to would be another Shakespeare group!”

But what is perhaps the Morgans’ biggest investment is about to take flight: SSG’s education and outreach programming. “I believe that classical theater lays the foundation for all theater in the future,” says Lauren. “Art can be built upon itself. Classical theater lays the groundwork for modern theater. [Kids] see it in action so they know it’s fun, and moving, and that you can emotionally connect to it. They are the audience of the future.”

photo credit: Bart Stewart

Hundreds of kids each year attend SSG productions at a discounted school rate, some of them encountering theater for the very first time. How do they react to Shakespeare’s English, which so many adults find intimidating? “We try not to put things on a pedestal,” says Jason. “We try to direct so everybody can see themselves onstage — so it’s relatable and easy to understand.” Now with a dedicated theater space all their own, SSG can explore extending runs, putting on more productions, and offering more hands-on classes for students.

They’ve already begun by offering Good Neighbor Scholarships to high school students at nearby Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School to attend their Bard’s Apprentices Workshop. Students compete in a monologue competition for scholarships, then attend camp to learn about classical acting, tackling soliloquies, sonnets, and group scenes. “Those kids are so talented,” says Lauren. “Some do have interest [in acting] but maybe don’t have another outlet to have the experience.”

The Morgans have a mandate from SSG’s mission statement: “Stolen Shakespeare Guild is dedicated to uniting and enriching the community through the preservation and celebration of classic theater.” Which of course begs the question: what IS “classic” theater? The Morgans define it as works that are classics in their genre, including Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Moliere, of course, but also Rodgers and Hammerstein and plays based on the works of Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. Lauren points out that at A Christmas Carol in December, multiple generations of families enjoyed the same show together — the definitive example of “uniting and enriching” the community — even though she hesitates to label SSG shows “family-friendly” in the sanitized sense.

“King Lear may not be for everyone, but everyone has had a chance to see it,” she says. “And the musicals do bring a lot of new people in, and hopefully they will come see some lesser titles.”

photo credit: Delaney Rain Gebhart Photography

This sort of pragmatic, egalitarian sensibility towards audiences is a key reason so many of the Morgans’ diverse patrons have stayed loyal despite the theater moving up north. “A lot have followed us, and we’ve also been able to reach new people,” Lauren says, adding that there is not a lot of live theater available in north Tarrant County — in Keller or River Oaks, for instance. The Morgans are betting, as they always have, that Stolen Shakespeare Guild will have something for everyone in their new digs. And that applies to more than what’s in the season lineup.

“I think we need to figure out what things look like for this organization and what is the best way to expand,” says Lauren. “Are we able to offer classes? Could we do a teen show over the summer? More summer camps? We have more exploring to do.”

In the meantime, they’re busy mounting a Jane Austen classic, followed quickly by perennial favorite Oklahoma, opening April 10^th.

When asked to sum up the past year’s tumultuous, miraculous move in a single Shakespeare quote, Jason jumps in with, “To be or NOT to be!” He and Lauren both break out in laughter that feels both deeply ironic and genuinely tender. That joke is still a bit too close to home.

Lauren thinks for a moment, then offers, “This is the stuff that dreams are made on.”

Jason interrupts, “Is that the right play?”

“It IS from The Tempest!” she insists, laughing, but admits, “You’ll have to fact-check that quote.” The line she’s referencing — Prospero’s — has been paraphrased in about a hundred different pop culture references over the past 500 years (“the stuff dreams are made of”, “the stuff of dreams”, etc.), proving even the Shakespeare experts need Google sometimes. (Turns out, she only got a word or two wrong, and you’ll need to look it up to see which.)

Relatable? Inspirational? Against all odds, SSG has managed to be both this year, both on but especially off the stage.

The post How Like a Dream Is This first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

This, in and of itself, was not earth-shaking news. After all, art exhibitions and shows frequently open in the Near Southside. It is, after all, a major artistic hub for our city.

But A Good Gathering was different than most art shows that we see in Fort Worth. It wasn’t just a collection of art hanging on walls. It was a series of events for artists, entrepreneurs, communicators, and the public to connect and engage, to learn and collaborate, as well as a collection of art (by 20 local artists, both new and established) hanging on walls.

Photo credit: Walt Burns

It’s probably not news to you, Dear Reader, that we Fort Worthians love our art. We’re justifiably proud of our museums. Most cities our size are lucky to have one decent museum. We have three world-class museums. We have theater and ballet companies that perform both traditional and avant-garde works. Look at the sheer number of art-related events and festivals in Fort Worth every year. From the Main Street Arts Festival and Spring and Fall Gallery Nights, from ArtsGoggle to Lost ‘n Sound, Fort Worth is more engaged with its artistic community than most cities of our size.

But back to this unique art experience we were talking about.

A joint exhibition between A Good Man’s Education and Art Tooth (see page 16), A Good Gathering was structured around four “pathways.” Art Tooth explained, “The Art Pathway highlights creative expressions that celebrate the joy of gathering. The Entrepreneur Pathway connects attendees with innovators shaping community engagement. The Cultural Pathway, presented with the Fort Worth Film Club, offers a curated selection of films. And the Community Pathway brings together all the elements through hands-on activities designed for all ages.”

“Art speaks to our souls,” said Dev’n Goodman, the founder and presiding genius of A Good Man’s Education. “It can facilitate conversations that need to be had, and it’s harder to put up barriers to keep people out when you’ve experienced their soul.”

In their series, “52 Faces of Community,” in which they honor “unsung heroes for making extraordinary differences every day: the people who are our neighbors and who quietly make our lives better every day,” the Fort Worth Report describes A Good Man’s Education as an “events business” and Dev’n as an “events planner.” While strictly true, these descriptions fall far short of the mark. Yes, Dev’n plans and hosts events across the city, but she is more than just an events planner. She is an entrepreneur, a cultural communicator, and an educator.

I first met Dev’n at an open house at I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM & VPA. She was my older child’s humanities teacher, and she impressed me from the get-go. My older child is very much a STEM kid, into math and computer science and at the time had little interest in anything else, and yet, Dev’n was able to get them excited about literature and history, something I had been trying to do for years. She created a safe, creative space in her classroom for her Gen Z STEM and arts kids to connect with the material and, more importantly, with each other.

In fact, longtime readers of Madeworthy may recognize Dev’n from our 2020 feature, “Top Teachers of Fort Worth.” These top teachers were voted on by members of the Tanglewood Moms Facebook group. “As a teacher who always taught outside the boundaries, I really appreciated that you all welcomed me like that,” she said.

Education and communication come honestly to Dev’n. Both of her parents are/were educators. Her father, Patrick Goodman, is the offensive coordinator for the football team and the head boys’ basketball coach at New Waverly High School in New Waverly, Texas. Her mother, Crystal Goodman, is a retired education administrator who once served as principal of Dunbar Middle School. (It’s because her parents were educators that young Dev’n did not skip from kindergarten directly to the sixth grade, no matter what the school and various tests said was possible. They recognized that her physical and emotional maturity needed time to catch up with her intellectual maturity.)

It is my firm belief that every child should have That Teacher – a teacher who sparks a fire, who expands that child’s mind in unexpected yet profound ways, who makes connections that create new understanding. Dev’n’s That Teacher was a science teacher who understood the value of the humanities. “Our science projects were also art projects,” Dev’n remembered. “Each project had to use a different medium. I loved it. My model of a cell was a cake. My DNA double helix was made out of sugar cubes.”

Not only did that science teacher combine art into the science curriculum, but she also read to her students. Dev’n said, “When we came into her class, she read to us. She had a massive rain stick for white noise, and when everyone sat down, we were expected to be quiet, and then she read for the first 15 minutes of class.”

Numerous studies have been done on the importance of reading to children. Not only does reading literature to children help with language development and important cognitive skills, but it also helps develop their imagination, emotional skills, and empathy. Dev’n absorbed far more than just scientific facts in that science class. And she took the imagination and empathy from that classroom with her into her career as a teacher.

While she was a teacher in the Fort Worth Independent School District, Dev’n started a relationship with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, which eventually led to a series of discussions called “Listening for a Change.” For five months in 2021, participants were invited to listen to two specified podcast episodes, chosen to provoke curiosity and introspection, and then take part in a discussion.

Also in 2021, Dev’n created and produced a virtual theater show in collaboration with Fort Worth theater company, Amphibian Stage. A video anthology of music, poetry, and personal histories, This Is My Story aimed to record and amplify the voices of Black men in Fort Worth, including such figures as Fort Worth ISD’s Dr. Carlos Walker and local event coordinator/caterer Henry Wasonga Abuto.

It was during the production of “Listening for a Change” and This Is My Story that Dev’n realized that her interest in the intersection of art, education, and community could be more. She left teaching in 2022, worked for about a year as an engagement manager at TechFW, and then struck out on her own with A Good Man’s Education.

Photo credit: Chelsea Davis

Throughout 2024 and 2025, A Good Man’s Education hosted or co-hosted events centered around art, culture, and community. Whether it was a panel discussion exploring the roles of women and community or a Black art tour done in conjunction with Art Tooth, each event served to connect and educate.

“Everything I do with A Good Man’s Education is centered around art, culture, and community,” Dev’n said. “Art connects us and can provoke powerful changes.”

Dev’n is possessed of a powerful intellect, and she is a mesmerizing speaker. Our conversation in the lobby bar at the Hotel Dryce lasted for over two hours. It ranged over such diverse topics as the relationship between first cousins Richard II and Henry IV of England, the differences in the concept of “family” in white, Black, and Brown communities, and the history of the connection between hip hop and Ralph Lauren. (We might have gone down a couple of rabbit holes.)

When asked about Art Tooth’s collaboration with A Good Man’s Education in A Good Gathering, Shasta Haubrich, Executive Director of Art Tooth (see page 16), said, “Together, [we built] on years of working individually with the creative community. Bringing together more than two dozen artists—including many we’ve each admired and collaborated with—is a powerful way to celebrate Fort Worth and its art scene.”

Traditional art shows and exhibitions usually include an opening reception, where art patrons view the works and mingle while sipping warmish glasses of sparkling wine. They may listen to some remarks by the artist and/or the gallery owner, which (hopefully) will spur patrons to purchase the art.

Selling art was just one of the goals of A Good Gathering. Patrons were encouraged to engage their bodies in movement and mindfulness sessions, make their own works of art in hands-on workshops led by art educator Natalia Margarite, view films in a series of screenings curated by TCU’s Dr. Marcellus Perkins, and participate in a panel discussion led by Kaci Merriwether-Hawkins, founder of Black Girls in Art Spaces, and Dr. Stacie McCormick, professor of English, Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies, and Women and Gender Studies at TCU. There was even a door raffle in which an attendee won one of those pieces of art hanging on the walls.

Photo credit: Walt Burns

Glasstire, an online arts magazine that promotes Texas’s visual arts on a regional and national level, named A Good Gathering one of the top art shows in Texas for 2025.

After the success of A Good Gathering, Dev’n isn’t resting on her laurels. She took some time to rest at the end of last year, but she’s back. Starting in February with a screening of the 1991 film Daughters of the Dust at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, followed by a panel discussion, A Good Man’s Education’s 2026 calendar is punctuated by events incorporating music, literature, film, and art, with an emphasis on education and community.

During March (which is, of course, Women’s History Month), Dev’n is hosting a Women’s Writers Book Swap at Hotel Dryce, featuring a book talk and signing by Jeanette Settembre, author of the acclaimed debut novel Little Red Flags. (There is also going to be a silent book club for introverts who want to read the book but don’t want to attend a talk.)

In June and July, A Good Man’s Education is collaborating with Bodega South Main to produce the Vibe Music Series (exact dates were still pending at the time of publication). There is another Black art walk planned with Art Tooth, and another art show in the spirit of A Good Gathering is scheduled for October.

“I’m a Libra,” Dev’n grinned. “You know, as a Libra, I love me some art.”

Dev’n hopes to expand A Good Man’s Education. She’s looking for partners who are focused on building community and hosting events centered around art, culture, and “just having a good time.” Her long-term goal is to turn A Good Man’s Education into a brick-and-mortar venue with space for events, shows, and lectures.

“I’ve always been fascinated by salons, you know, like Parisian salons,” Dev’n said. “I love the idea of having cultural talks in interesting places. You know, having a lecture on art or music or something is a big thing in the Northeast. I’d love to get that trend started down here.”

Our conversation came to an end, not because we had run out of things to say, but because the organizers of an event later in the evening at Hotel Dryce needed the space. The event was to introduce what was described as a “local boy band.” In a full-circle kind of coincidence that only happens in books or movies, that local boy band is made up of Dev’n’s former students at I.M. Terrell.

The post Provoking Powerful Change: Dev’n Goodman on the Power of Art and the Community first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Gallery of Dreams and Fort Works Art, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, invites artists of all ages and experience levels to participate in the America 250 City Art Poster Project, a prestigious national initiative supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the United States Conference of Mayors, commemorating America’s 250-year milestone in 2026. The City of Fort Worth has been officially selected to take part in this nationwide project, offering local artists a rare opportunity to contribute to a historic, national visual archive.

Fort Worth’s selection is a landmark moment for the city’s arts and culture scene, participating alongside other cities across the country in shaping the visual story of America’s 250-year history. This opportunity celebrates the city’s vibrant creative movement and underscores Fort Worth’s growing role as a cultural leader on a national stage, building on recent momentum in film and television.

The selected work will become part of a nationwide exhibition and celebration, offering Fort Worth artists rare national visibility and a chance to leave a lasting mark on America’s cultural history. The project is an opportunity to elevate local voices, showcase the city’s talent, and reinforce Fort Worth’s legacy as a forward-looking, imaginative cultural hub.

For detailed poster specifications, submission guidelines, and additional information from the National Endowment for the Arts, artists should visit the Open Call on callforentry.org. All information and requirements for the America 250 City Art Poster Project come directly from the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S Conference of Mayors, ensuring that artists are accessing the official guidance and materials for this nationwide initiative.

Application Details: Application Opens: February 15, 2026 Application Closes: April 5, 2026

The post Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary with Art first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Apologies to Miss Austen aside, that universal truth is a load of hooey. Just ask Max Marshall and Cosmo Jones, the artists (yes, artists) behind Giant Runt Gallery.

Max and Cosmo were kind enough to talk with me before the opening reception for Erica Jaeggli’s exhibition, New Works. Giant Runt is located on St. Louis Avenue in the space formerly occupied by Bale Creek Allen Gallery. There were paintings all around us – some on the walls, some still waiting to be hung, and the air was perfumed with oil paint. It was the perfect location for a discussion of art and the business of art. ‘’

Max smiled, “You can make a living as an artist. Just know that your path is going to be weird and winding.”

Max and Cosmo are alumni of the University of North Texas art program. Max has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting and a Bachelor in art history. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in sculpture. Cosmo has two BFAs and an MFA from UNT. Both have been working in the art world while making their art since they graduated.

So, how do two artists end up owning a gallery and curating other artists’ shows?

“We knew of each other from UNT,” Cosmo explained. “One of my classmates at UNT was her roommate. We knew each other’s works but had only met in passing. We messaged for months on Instagram before we met.”

“After I finished grad school at TCU, we were trying to figure out what we were going to do,” said Max.

Cosmo agreed. “We needed studio space, which is difficult to find in Fort Worth, so we started thinking. We started looking for an abandoned school or motel that we could turn into multiple galleries. We could bring in some big name, and in our dream, they would be creating and showing next to some punk kid. There would be studio spaces that would help fund the whole facility.”

Max and Cosmo had met Bale Allen through Jay Wilkinson. “We became friends with Bale,” Max remembered. “One day, he said, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about leaving to go back to school.’ The gallery was available, and we thought this was the magical catalyst for what we’d been talking about.”

“How could we not take it when it fell into our laps?” added Cosmo.

Max smiled. “The more we thought about it, the more we thought that maybe we should do a smaller trial run before we went all in on an abandoned school.”

Giant Runt is a reasonably traditional gallery space – concrete floor, white walls, exposed ductwork. It’s pretty different from what Max and Cosmo envision for their future art compound. “It’s sort of like art school,” Cosmo said. “In school, you learn the traditional styles and the traditional rules. Once you learn them, you can then break them.”

Cosmo and Max not only run the gallery, but they also run a curatorial project called Kickpigeon Kids that introduces young artists to creating collaborative installations. “Some shows are open call; some are invitational,” Cosmo explained. “We give the artists an open-ended prompt. Then we take their works and combine them with our vast collection of weird stuff.”

Max continues, “Then we make a full-on installation work of it all so that no piece is the star. Everything is considered art. Even the junk. Even the weird stuff.”

Both artists are experts in “weird stuff.” Cosmo started at UNT studying jazz guitar; he realized that he didn’t have the work ethic for the renowned music program. At the time, he and his parents had inherited a Native American jewelry trading business that his grandparents established and became interested in metalsmithing.

“UNT has the best metalsmithing program in the US,” Cosmo said. “Metalsmithing at UNT is an art degree, and part of that degree is taking other studio classes, so I took painting. All of a sudden, I realized, ‘Hey, I can do this.’”

After school, Cosmo did a lot of different jobs in the art world. He was the construction foreman for the Currents New Media Festival in Santa Fe. He was the prop master at Amphibian Stage when they first moved to their current location on South Main. Now, when he’s not curating other artists’ shows, he works in a variety of media. “I do installation work, super-mixed media painting, videos… I do whatever is right at the time, but the short answer is that I’m a painter.”

Max’s artistic and career trajectory is similarly serpentine. “After school, I worked in a museum, but I realized that wasn’t for me. But it showed me that there’s a whole bunch of niche jobs that I’d never heard about that help make this whole art machine run. So I got my CDL and started driving trucks and hanging art.”

“Which is very useful for the gallery,” Cosmo interrupts.

“I’m not a painter,” Max continued. “I came out of grad school as a found object artist. My projects now revolve around something believed to be inherently American – the idea of the cowboy or football – but I pick apart the whole hidden history behind those things and find those little hidden webs of history that affect things we claim as ‘American.’ I also love using materials you can get at like the Dollar Store and presenting them with the gravitas that we reserve for ‘great art,’ seeing how far we can push those really low materials up into something else.”

Max said, “I see these kids in school who want to be artists but are doing art history or graphic design because their parents want them to have something to fall back on. I wish I could tell them, ‘Don’t be steered away from your passion. You can do this. You can be an artist and follow your passion and make it work.’”

She and Cosmo are proof of that.

Giant Runt will host a reception for Alexis Maebry’s show, Reattach Me to My Body, on Spring Gallery Night, March 29. The Kickpigeon Kids new media show, Hack the Planet, opens at The Grackle on April 12 and runs for three weeks. Follow Giant Runt on Instagram @giantrunt. 

The post Following the Weird and Winding Path first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Jen Schultes is best known as the graphic design and marketing force behind the Near Southside theatre where her work will be shown. Her artwork features whimsical black ink illustrations and quirky watercolors of Texas-themed imagery; this exhibition showcases works perfect for art lovers and holiday gift shoppers alike.

“A touchstone across my art is the use of black ink. Ink has a bold immediacy; it represents a moment in time, when (seemingly) indelible strokes are laid down. A blank sheet in front of you, the only path forward is to believe that every mark is valid and interesting, and then begin.”

Stage West gallery installation by Jen Schultes

There will be a reception for the artist on Saturday, December 7, 2024 from 4-5pm in the Lobby Gallery at Stage West (821 West Vickery Blvd, Fort Worth 76104).

In addition to the exhibition, tiNG tiNG desiGN offers unique customizable gift options, including the Customizable-Message Typewriter Print and You+Me Woodpecker Print, perfect for sharing heartfelt, personal messages.

Catch Jen at the upcoming Fort Worth Community (holiday!) Market & Food Drive Sunday, Dec 8 from 10-3 at the South Main Micro Park for a chance to shop in person and find additional treasures, including the Tarot Baroque deck—a captivating set of Baroque masterpieces re-envisioned as Tarot, hand drawn by Jen’s partner, Ben Clemens.

For more information on these prints and customizable gifts visit tingtingdesign.com

For more about Tarot Baroque, check out:  tarotbaroque.com/products/tarot- baroque-an-illustrated-deck-of-baroque-masterpieces.

The post New Artist Exhibit at Stage West first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

The inaugural collection features ready-to-wear styles and artwork created specifically for HSN. Alana Kay will serve as the Artist and Creative Director of othrwīs by Alana Kay and will be the public face of the brand.

The exclusive HSN collection offers easy-to-wear, machine-washable, inclusively-sized pieces made with a stretchy knit fabric. Every piece in the collection will be available in sizes XS-3XL. Fueled by the power of color, Alana Kay digitally transforms her large resin paintings into the fabric used in her head-turning fashion collections. Her pieces elevate everyday life into a gallery show, making you a masterpiece that is sure to incite compliments.

“I love where fashion is right now. Women feel more empowered to dress how they choose, rather than chasing the latest trends,” said Alana Kay. “Creating a brand featuring my artwork exclusively for HSN feels like a dream! Their customers aren’t afraid of bold colors and I’m thrilled to offer a collection of styles that will make wearers of every shape and size feel like the powerful beauties they have always been.”

Photo courtesy of Alana Kay

After starting her flagship brand, AlanaKayART, in her Fort Worth, TX home in 2017, Alana Kay has continued to expand globally, capturing and captivating the attention of creators, collectors, and consumers alike. In a world where women are often told to blend in, Alana Kay preaches the freedom found in standing out.

“HSN is known for their story-telling and exceptional customer experience, which just so happen to also be core values of my brands, and is one of many reasons I jumped at the chance to collaborate with them.”

Customers will be able to exclusively shop the new collection on HSN beginning May 9 when Alana Kay makes her full HSN on-air and streaming debut to introduce othrwīs by Alana Kay. You can also shop the exclusive collection onhsn.com.

The post Fort Worth Artist Launches Exclusive Brand for HSN first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Dictionaries are no help in defining the difference. Merriam-Webster defines a craft as “an occupation, trade, or activity requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill,” while the Oxford English Dictionary defines art as “skill in doing anything as the result of knowledge and practice.”

Generally speaking, a craft is something that can be duplicated again and again, requiring skill but not inspiration and passion. Art requires inspiration and passion. It’s also implied that you can make a living with a craft, while the starving artist is a clichéd figure in our society.

So how do we define the pieces that Sarah Colby Levings makes? The bowls, mugs, and jars she makes definitely take skill. Throwing on a potter’s wheel isn’t easy. The technical aspects of working with ceramics, especially porcelain, which is Sarah’s preferred medium and is notoriously cranky, take practice and skill.

But you cannot deny that Sarah’s works are art. The forms and colors resonate on a level that raises them above mere craft. There is emotion and passion in each piece that elevate them above a useful object.

photo credit: Angie Garcia

Sarah Colby Levings is a North Texas girl, born and bred. Growing up in Red Oak, just south of Dallas, Sarah said it wasn’t until high school that she took a painting class. “There were only three of us in that class,” she remembered. “It wasn’t a heavily artistic town, and it was a typical small-town Texas high school – lots of football.”

That high school art class, small as it was, sparked something in Sarah. She realized that she had a talent for it. Art gave her an outlet, a means of expression. Like most young artists, Sarah’s early work was realistic, representational. “I found I was pretty good at a realistic style of painting, and I wanted to pursue it.”

Wanting to continue with her art education but not wanting to have to travel to far from home, Sarah headed to the University of North Texas (UNT) for college. “I wish I would have gone farther for college now,” she said. But it was while at UNT that she was introduced to what would become her life’s passion.

photo credit: Angie Garcia

“I took ceramics as an elective, and something just clicked,” Sarah said. “I was initially in their painting program and had shuffled around in a lot of different majors, as you do.” The ceramics class gave Sarah her artistic medium. “I found my niche. I was allowed to explore and experiment at UNT, and I took advantage of the program and the equipment that I wouldn’t have access to otherwise.”

After graduation, Sarah bounced back and forth between Dallas and Fort Worth, eventually staying on the cool side of the Metroplex for good in 2015. She found work managing the gallery at Fort Works Art under Lauren Childs, one of Fort Worth’s greatest mentors to upcoming artists. But managing an art gallery didn’t leave much time for Sarah to pursue her art.

And then the pandemic hit.

Like most places, Fort Works Art closed down during the initial shutdown. At a loose end, Sarah began to really pour herself into her art. “It was always my goad to make the leap to making pottery full time,” Sarah said. “Art is a viable profession; you can make a living from it. But you have to invest the time and energy into yourself. COVID gave me that time.”

photo credit: Angie Garcia

Ceramics is not an easy medium. There are so many things that can go wrong. At any point during the process, which usually involved at least two kiln firings, something can happen that will cause the piece to break. With ceramics, the artist has to balance technical know-how, brute strength, and a willingness to let the process take its own course. Sarah works with porcelain, which while it gives her pieces the pure while background she wants, is a notoriously temperamental clay. It is less forgiving than stoneware or earthenware, and many potters avoid it. But Sarah embraces it.

“When I was going through the painting program [at UNT], we were exposed to all theses masterpieces that are very realistic, heavily controlled, perfect works, and that’s what I tried to make early on. But then you start encountering and interacting with other [media]… It’s in my nature to be really controlling of my work, but when I started working with clay, it was a way for me to let go of control.”

photo credit: Angie Garcia

Sarah has turned the living room of the Arlington Heights bungalow that she shares with her new husband, Scott Levings, into her studio. “Scott is an artist, too. He’s turned the dining room into his studio.” She fires her materials at Firehouse Pottery. (It’s hard to fit a full-size kiln into a bungalow.) Firehouse owner Keith Thomson has become a friend and mentor. “Keith is amazing. I was connected to him through Art Tooth when I did a show with them a couple of years ago. He was willing to fire my stuff for the show, and our relationship has now kind of grown.”

Now that Sarah is making her pieces full time, she and her husband are hoping to take their art to the next level. While her Instagram account (@sarahandthings) shows her works, she hasn’t had an easy way to get her pieces into the hands of the public. So Sarah and Scott are launching a website which will feature both of their art, and their goal is to have a shared workspace where people can come see what each is doing. Scott grew up with local artist Jay Wilkinson (see page 10), and Sarah marvels at the interconnectedness of the Fort Worth art scene.

“It’s crazy how everyone is connected here. Everyone from the art scene and the music scene supports each other so much,” Sarah said. “We also have access to collectors and patrons, as well as museums and big institutions who want to support local artists. You really don’t see that anywhere else.”

After putting her pottery on the back burner for years, Sarah is finally allowing herself to really follow her passion. And while she’s not sure whether it’s an art or a craft, her followers firmly believe it’s the former.

“I don’t know whether it’s an art or a craft, but it’s really neat to be able to make something with your hand that people have been doing for thousands of years for people to use and enjoy.”

photo credit: Angie GarciaMade

The post Art or Craft? first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Caya works from her bedroom in her parents’ home that is busting at the seams with artistic talent. Her mother Betsy, a talented artist, and father Carl, a photographer, instilled a love of all things creative in her from the start. They have a business called Sort of Cool Art which features works which highlight all things Texas. Think Whataburger, Willie, Will Rogers, Dr Pepper, and rattlesnakes.

Photo courtesy of Caya Crum

Caya credits her parents as being her biggest inspiration and rightfully so. Her earliest art memory is running around various art shows across the state with her parents. Betsy and Carl instilled a love of art into Caya from very young age, so it is only natural that she is already running her own business and creating beautiful pieces with a unique modern Texan touch unlike any other.

Photo courtesy of Caya Crum

A junior at Paschal High School, Caya runs cross country, collects vinyl, and has developed a deep love of music, especially that of David Bowie and Kate Bush. She also loves old movie soundtracks, and this affinity for music is reflected in her art. A stunning piece of hers recently sold at the Fort Worth Stock Show featuring Townes Van Zandt.

Caya and her family spend a lot of time traveling and she credits her time in New Mexico as another artistic influence. When she’s not running cross country, she spends a couple afternoons a week after school at her booth in the Montgomery Street Antique Mall where you will find her work for sale. From custom works to portraits of famous people, Caya’s work will make you smile.

Fort Worth’s beloved Swiss Pastry Shop recently hired Caya to paint a mural on the side of their building. You can’t drive down West Vickery Boulevard without noticing the girl on the wall eating the bakery’s legendary Black Forest cake. And more murals are coming soon. Caya is currently working on a 55-foot mural on the side of the Welman Project’s building, also on West Vickery, which brings to life the mission of the non-profit which helps provide surplus materials from businesses to classrooms and teachers in need to encourage creativity in their classrooms. Full of color and warmth, the mural is an exciting addition to this area of town which is undergoing quite the renaissance.

Photo courtesy of Caya Crum

In 2021, Caya was awarded the commission to repurpose the iconic Massey’s Restaurant and Chicken Fried Steaks sign. When the Fort Worth landmark on 8^Th Avenue was demolished in 2014, the sign remained until Everly Place, a senior apartment community was built. A contest was held to repurpose the beloved sign, which will hang in the art gallery of the complex, and Caya won, beating out over 50 artists with far more experience.

When she is not busy with painting murals, winning contests, running cross country, and being a high school student, Caya is preparing art to show at 2022’s Christmas in Cowtown and at the Armadillo Art Bazaar in Austin where she will be the featured artist for 2022. As the featured artist, Caya will design the branding for the show which features national and local artists and is held two weeks before Christmas.

Caya is as driven and brilliant as any artist, and yet she is undeniably a teenager; her artistic energy and whimsical fashion sense are combined with a professional poise far beyond her years. She dreams of studying abroad and working for the National Gallery in Washington D.C. There are big things to come for this rising star, and we are most definitely here for it.

Photo courtesy of Caya Crum

Angela Weaver is a native Texan, raised in Keller, but she got to Fort Worth as soon as she could. At 17, she joined the Marine Corps and served four years active duty. After her military service ended, she went to work for a hedge fund and then a whiskey distillery, both in Fort Worth. Her most important role started in 2009 when she became a mom. She lives with her two boys in Fort Worth and spends as much time as possible on fun adventures with them. She loves to spend her time with her boys outdoors getting the full Boy Mom experience, even if that means being covered in dirt, catching fish, or shooting BB guns. She loves the sense of community she has found in Fort Worth and can’t wait share that with our readers.

The post Making Colorful Waves first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Now, a distinguished photographer, Letitia laughs as she recalls this moment and turns to look at her husband, Sedrick, a highly regarded sculptor and painter. With his hands in his lap and his head bowed, you can just catch the glimpse of a grin on Sedrick’s face. Letitia goes on to add, “Outside of our faith, [art] has been one of the great strengths of our marriage because we understand what the other person is trying to do. And we can support each other in that regard.”

The Huckabys are prominent in the art world, which is a polite and understated way to say that the Huckabys are a very big deal. Both artists are educated in their disciplines, with five degrees between them, have exhibited at galleries and museums all over the country, and have works in permanent collections and the Library of Congress.

Kinfolk House
Photo courtesy of Kinfolk House

To have such lauded artists right in our backyard is a testament to our city, for appreciating and fostering the work of local artists, and to the Huckabys themselves, who have chosen Fort Worth as their backdrop rather than a buzzier and more conspicuous city that other artists of their caliber might flock to. But this is home for the couple, and home is the setting for their newest endeavor, Kinfolk House, a collaborative project space in Polytechnic Heights where art and community will converge.

Long before it was Kinfolk House, it was the house of Hallie Beatrice Carpenter, Sedrick’s grandmother, affectionately known to everyone as “Big Momma.” A structure that has truly stood the test of time (100 plus years and counting), Sedrick remembers the house as a home in every sense of the word. “Creatively, she [the house] was a place people liked to come to. This is where we would gather. You were always welcome and if you were going through a hard time, it was somewhere you could stay if you needed to,” he recalls. He describes his grandmother as a “real spiritual woman” who loved her family, church, and neighbors, the universal elements that support a strong community framework. These elements are also recurring themes expressed in Letitia’s photography, which documents the Black experience, and Sedrick’s paintings, which highlight the remarkableness of everyday people.

The Huckabys’ vision for Kinfolk House did not emerge overnight. Like anything meaningful, it took time to develop. According to Sedrick, “It was the culmination of years of life, years of thinking, and a number of things that cross intersect.” A pivotal experience studying the master paintings in Europe, which inspired his love for Old World chapels, expanded his perception of art as it relates to place. “Visiting these wonderful places and spaces, places that have a certain essence to them, you are just moved by being in this artistic environment. And that would later intersect with thoughts about community, different communities I’ve been in, thoughts about family and thoughts about art in general.”

Eventually, the Huckabys determined that Big Momma’s house, a space sacred to the family, should be reimagined as a space to cultivate and harvest art in this richly cultural neighborhood. The mission statement of Kinfolk House states, “Our goal is to uplift the beauty, talent, and culture in Polytechnic and feed its creativity by offering collaborative exhibitions, events, and educational opportunities of various disciplines.”

“Welcome,” Letitia and Sedrick Huckaby
Photo courtesy of Kinfolk House

It’s been 12 years since the Huckabys took ownership of Big Momma’s. Kinfolk House officially opened its doors to the public on March 5. To commemorate this momentous occasion, Letitia and Sedrick are hosting their first project, Welcome, a special collaboration of combined works that reflect family, heritage, and legacy. The exhibit pays homage to Big Momma, born Hallie Beatrice Welcome, and will runs through April 24. As the name implies, all are welcome.

The beauty of art is that it can be anything to anyone. For Letitia, art is found in movement and setting captured with her camera. For Sedrick, it’s best expressed through clay and oil paint. And while their mediums are different, the two perceive art, this abstract expression of creativity and emotion, as an innate form of expression found in all human beings. Simply put, art is their love language.

Although she prefers burnt orange to purple, Hannah Bush is happy to call Fort Worth her new home. She began freelance writing a few years ago to break up the monotony of her 9 to 5, and to prove to her parents that she’s making good use of her journalism degree. When she’s not hanging out with her cat, Hannah can likely be found on a patio with her husband, talking about her cat.

The post Places & Spaces, Art & Community first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.